Stockholm: Many countries have enforced strict implementation of lockdown to prevent the spread of the pandemic coronavirus. Not Sweden though.
Keeping public places open
The country has not closed down its schools, gyms, cafes, bars and restaurants. They have remained functional during the spread of the pandemic. Instead, the Swedish government has urged citizens to follow social distancing guidelines properly. And now some of the top healthcare professionals in the country are stating that the no-lockdown policy has paid results.
The man behind such an indirect approach is the country’s top epidemiologist Anders Tegnell. The local media has quoted him as saying that the latest figures on coronavirus infection rates is stabilising. He has also said that the coronavirus deaths are decreasing. “We’re on a sort of plateau,” Tegnell has been quoted as saying by told Swedish news agency ‘TT’.
Only history will be able to portray which strategy proved most effective – Sweden’s relaxed measures or the strict lockdown enforced by most of the countries hit by coronavirus. However, with its relaxed norms, Sweden has managed to restrict its economic losses and it has certainly attracted the attention of the world.
Best healthcare system
However, what is critical to note here is that Sweden possesses one of the world’s best healthcare system. It never had any shortage of medical equipment or hospitals in the fight against COVID-19. Many other countries including the United States had to set up temporary camp to accommodate coronavirus patients.
Sweden reported 1,540 deaths Sunday related to COVID-19, an increase of 29 from Saturday. No doubt, that’s a big figure, but much less than what countries like Italy, Spain and France have seen.
Tegnell isn’t the only high-level official to claim the country may be over the worst. “The trend we have seen in recent days, with a more flat curve – where we have many new cases, but not a daily increase – is stabilizing,” Karin Tegmark Wisell, head of the microbiology department at Sweden’s Public Health Authority was quoted as saying by the Swedish media recently. “We are seeing the same pattern for patients in intensive care,” Wisell added.
Swedish PM Stefan Lofven’s views
However, just two weeks ago, the picture was very bleak indeed. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven wanted to review the method implemented to tackle coronavirus as deaths were increasing. Now however, Lofven is a bit more relaxed though experts say that the time hasn’t arrived to ease up. However, even then Lofven is seeking better healthcare systems.
“The protection for people in elderly care should have been better,” Lofven was quoted as saying last week. “We need to look closer at what has gone wrong,” he added.
Yet overall, Lofven’s strategy has won the approval of Swedes, and his personal popularity has soared. Whether it will last… the next few weeks will have the answer.
Agencies